


campfire

by havisham



Series: havisham's SASO 2017 works collection [34]
Category: Free!
Genre: Developing Relationship, M/M, Post-Canon, Rare Pairings, Short-Shorts & Whistles, Summer Camp
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-02
Updated: 2017-07-02
Packaged: 2018-11-22 11:52:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11379642
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/havisham/pseuds/havisham
Summary: Waited all summer to get to you/ campfire outside we fell and kissedSousuke signed up to be a camp counselor for his university's summer swim camp and meets someone new and old.





	campfire

**Author's Note:**

> Written for SASO 2017 Bonus Round 3: Fan Soundtracks for the [prompt](http://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/22341.html?thread=12872773#cmt12872773): Sousuke/Natsuya, [Campfire - Satellite Stories](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zt43vyqoRHY/).

Sousuke had signed up to be a counselor for his university’s summer youth swim camp with the hazy intention of earning a little bit of money during break. The school year had been tough so far and he'd coped as well as he could with the steady stream of news of Rin and Haru’s successes on the international stage. Sousuke’s shoulder was healing, still, but it was nowhere near ready for him to compete. 

So Sousuke decided to distract himself and get away from all those swimmers from Iwatobi. 

And so, true to his luck, the first day of the counselor’s training, Sousuke got out of the bus outside the training facility where the camp was to be held and came face-to-face with a swimmer from Iwatobi -- Kirishima Natsuya. 

Sousuke remembered Kirishima, of course, he'd been the captain of the Iwatobi Junior High School Swim Club when Haru was there, and the following decade had added almost a foot to his height and more sleek muscles to his lean, rangy frame. He was very handsome -- with his messy chestnut hair and his warm brown eyes. And judging from his radiant smile, currently trained on Sousuke, he still possessed that irritatingly positive attitude that made Sousuke want to moon-walk back to the bus and spend the rest of his summer parked under the air conditioning, forgetting the world. 

But Sousuke’s parents didn’t raise him to be a quitter, so he matched up to Kirishima and shook his proffered hand and introduced himself. Kirishima didn't seem to remember that they'd met before, which was fine by Sousuke. 

*

Swim camp was slightly different than other camps in that counselors really were needed to make sure their charges weren’t constantly drowning on them. Maybe that joke was in poor taste, but Sousuke had fished out enough kids from the deep end to be thoroughly fed up by it. Only one more week for beginners, he reminded himself. Next week would be intermediate swimmers, which couldn't be _too_ bad.

“Don’t look so sour, Yamazaki,” said Kirishima cheerfully as he walked by with an armful of pool noodles. “No one asked you to jump in the pool with your clothes on!” 

“Sorry, would you have preferred young Tanaka to drown, Chief?” Sousuke said, squinting up at him. 

Kirishima flashed him a charming grin. “You really haven’t changed at all, have you?” 

*

Out of desperation, Sousuke called Haru when he had some free time. Maybe Tachibana would have been a better choice, but Sousuke wasn’t especially close to him. He hated to acknowledge that he _was_ close to Haru, but they weren’t exactly rivals anymore, so they were probably friends.

Haru picked up on the third ring.

“What is it, Yamazaki,” he said flatly. “Rin isn’t here.” 

“Wow, you’re so rude, Nanase, is this how you greet everyone who calls you?” 

“Only people who call me looking for Rin.” 

“I’m not calling for Rin, as it happens -- ah, Haru, this might be a weird question but do you remember a guy named Kirishima? He would’ve been your senpai in junior high, I think.” 

Haru breathed into the phone, audibly. Sousuke winced. He knew that Haru knew how much he hated that. 

“Natsuya? Of course I remember him,” Haru said, his voice softer than it had been before. “He was my captain. And I used to swim with his brother too. How is he? Is he still swimming?” 

“He’s the lead counselor for the swim camp I’m working at. Natsuya, huh? You guys sure are casual.” 

“Hmm.” Haru seemed to consider this. “Do you have to wear a whistle and short-shorts?” 

“Yeah, do you want me to take a picture and send it to you?” 

“Gross. Do you have a crush on Natsuya? I knew him in junior high school, I don’t really have current information…” 

“Why would I have a crush on your senpai!” Sousuke blustered. Just because Kirishima was handsome and hot and ran around in those short-shorts all the time … It didn’t mean anything. 

“Good luck. He’s a nice guy,” Haru said. “You could probably succeed if he doesn’t remember what an arrogant little jerk you were back then.” 

_Oh._

 

*  
The thing about summer was that it sped by just as Sousuke had gotten used to its rhythms. The beginners were gone and the intermediates had a day devoted to learning the theories of swimming, and so the counselors were free to take the day off. Someone had decided that the best way to spend it was to swim -- at the beach.

Sousuke had drawn the short straw and was in charge of roasting the meats. He nursed a can of beer and watched, broodingly, as the rest of the counselors frolicked in the sand or in the water. 

“Yo, Yamazaki!” shouted one of the counselors. “Go swim, I can take over for now.” 

“Thanks,” Sousuke said, bounding over a chair before he could change his mind. The water felt mind-numbingly good against his hot skin and he sighed happily. His shoulder wasn’t giving him much trouble, but then again, he wasn’t swimming strenuously either. Sometimes he forgot, in the tumult of emotions that usually accompanied swimming, that it also felt good, that water was wonderful, forgiving and cool. 

Great, now he sounded like Haru. 

He’d swam past the crowded part of the beach and came upon a little secluded cove. He thought he was alone, except he caught a whift of smoke coming towards him. He looked up in time to see Kirishima stubbing out a blunt against the rocks. 

They stared at each other for a moment and Kirishima gave him a somewhat uncertain smile. “I couldn’t convince you that you didn’t see what you just saw, could I?” 

“Depends,” Sousuke said, getting out of the water. He was well-aware of how much he was dripping all over the place, and also the way Kirishima’s eyes traveled up and down his body. Sousuke grinned. Now _this_ he knew how to handle. “Do you have enough to share?” 

“I might,” Kirishima said, his eyes hooded. “Do you know how to shotgun a smoke?” 

And the moment Sousuke had Kirishima’s warm, pliable lips on his, he moved forward, pressed against him. He was taller than Kirishima -- it was a few scant inches, but it was enough. He let the smoke thread through his open lips and then he kissed Kirishima, as hard as he did everything else. 

Kirishima’s hand gripped hard against Sousuke’s bicep. When they pulled apart, he looked at Sousuke, and said, his voice unsteady, “Shit. I’m in trouble, aren’t I?” 

“Why? Because of me? I’m not the kind to kiss and tell, don’t worry.” 

Kirishima sighed and leaned against the rocks. “I’m always really fucking tense. If it isn’t my studies, it’s my family or work. I’ve never known how to relax. This --” he waved remnant of the blunt in his hand for a moment before he dropped it, kicking sand over it. “Helps, but not really. You know what it’s like, right?” 

“Ah,” Sousuke said. “I guess. You remember what I was like back then, right?” 

“Tense.” 

“I was going through some stuff. Emotional problems, I guess.” Sousuke winked at Kirishima and said, “Anyway, right now? I can help you relax too.” 

Kirishima paused. And then snorted sharply. “That was not smooth at all. Aha, wow. Haru was right about you.” 

“The hell, Haru called you?” Sousuke said, annoyed. “That fucking … dolphin fetishist…” 

“Come on,” Kirishima said briskly. “I’ve waited half the summer for you to make a move. Kiss me more. And call me Natsuya.” 

“You Iwatobi kids are way too casual --” Sousuke said, as Natsuya kissed him. 

“Aren’t you from Iwatobi too?” 

“Y-yeah, but I spent some time in Tokyo, so…” 

*

Later, around the campfire, Sousuke caught Natsuya’s eye and licked idly at the pad of his thumb. The taste of roasted corn lingered there, but he wanted something different. Summer had gotten a lot more interesting now.


End file.
